Towel cabinet



Jan. I, 1924 A. GRUB TOWEL CABINET Filed Dec. 2 1918 swa Gru,

Patented Jan 1, 1924.

ALBERT GRUB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOWEL CABINET.

Application and December as, 1918. Serial No. aeaeoe.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ALBERT GRUB, a citizen of the United States, residing in the drawings, as indicated by the I It may be used inconjunction with city of Chicago, county of- Cook, and State of Illinois, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel Cabinets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a towel cabinet of the ty e in which storage space for a quantity 0? clean towels is provided, and each towel is individually anchored to the cabinet in a manner permitting its removal from' the storage space for use, but preventing the user from taking the towel-away with him. 7 The present invention also includes.

coin-operated means for controlling the release of towels from the ,storage space, to-

ether with other features and elements all l aereinafter described and shown in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a .front elevation of a towel cabinet embodying this invention with the front wall of the cabinet removed to reveal certain interior features of the device.

Figure 2 is a partial front elevation of the cabinet with the front wall in place but with a portion thereof broken away to show cert-ain'parts of the coin-controlled mechanism mounted on said wall.

Figure 3 is a transverse horizontal section taken as indicated at line, 3-3,. on F1g ure 1.

Fi re 4 is a detail section taken as indicate at line, 4-4, on Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail section taken as indicated at line, 5--5, on Figure 2.

.Figure 6 is a vertical section taken as indicated at line, 6-6, on Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the towelguide rods shown in i ure 6.

igure 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken as indica at line, 8-8, on Figure 7.

understood that the towels this cabinet are rectangular in form and each provided at about the middle of-one side and near the margin with an e elet preferably of metal or other fairly stifi material by which the towels are retained on a' 'de rod, 1, extending vertically in the ca inet. Thus ongaged with the rod, 1, a

pile of towels is supported upon a shelf whlch is bifurcated or made 1nto two parts, 2, 2, disposed at a convenient height from the floor to permit manlpulation of the towel at the bottom ofthe pile. The rod, 1, extends vertically through the eyelet of the towel in the pile, and at a slight distance above the bifurcatedshelf, 2, it bends forwardly at 3, as seen 1n Flgures 6 and 7, this initial bend, 3, being fairly abrupt but slightly reater than a right angle. The rod-exten forwardly only a short distance from the bend,

3, thence dips abruptly downward at 4, and

then by a curve, 5, of larger radius than the curve, 3, connects with a horizontal portion, 6, extending midway between the two shelf portions, 2,- 2, u' on which the towels rest. .At 7 the rod ends acutely downward and rearwardly for guiding the towels into the lower space which serves as a re ceptacle for them when they are soiled.

,It will be understood that the lowest towel of the pile is brought into use b drawing it forward along theguide rods cm the bend, 3, to the bend, 7, at which substantially the entire area of the towel is exposed, and after being used in this position it is allowed to fall into the-lower receptacle, guided along the part,.8.

Adjacentthe bend, 3, there is secured to the rear wall. 9, a bifurcated towel-retaining bracket, 10, whose arms extend horizontally at opposite sides of the rod, being separated by a distance slightly eater than the diameter of one of the rigid e elets with which each towel is provided. e bracket, 10, being positioned somewhat above the level of the shelf, 2, requires the rear edges of the towels 'in the pile to deflect upwardly and rearwardly from the support ing frame of the shelf, 2. The bend, 3, in the guide rod begins just below the upper bracket, 10, but the plane of the retamin weight of the pile o towels, or even the weight of one eyelet will cause the eyelet of the lowest towel in the pile to sag be- 1 from falling down between the arms of the bracket, 10, until the lowest towel has, been withdrawn so far that there is'no tendency for it to drag the next towel with it along the guide rod. 0n the other hand, it would be impossible to withdraw two towels at one time, since the upper towel would have its eyelet-engaged with a sub stantially Vertical portion of the rod, 1, just preceding the bend, 3, and this upper eyelet having no initial engagement with the bend, 3, around it.

Preferably, for the sake of cleanliness, the towels supported on the bifurcated shelf, 2, are enclosed in a cabinet having having side walls, 13, a top, 14, and a front wall, 15, to the lower edge of which the door, 12, already mentioned, is attached by spring hinges, 16, tending to hold it in closed position in the vertical plane of the wall, 15. When a towel is withdrawn from the bottom of the pile, being grasped through the opening, 11, in the bottom of the door, 12, the latter swings yieldingly forward to permit the towel to pass between the rear face of the door, 12, and the front edge of the bifurcated shelf, 2, against which the door, 12, closes; If it is desired to make such a cabinet yield a revenue for the use of each towel, the door, 12, may be positively locked against the front edge of the shelf, 2, thus tending to effectively prevent removal of any towels through the opening, 11, and the lock device may be conrcontrolled by a mechanism about to be described.

The lock consists of a rigid hook or catch,

1?, secured to the rear face of the door, 12, and engaged by a locking finger, 18, on the end of a lever, 19, pivoted at 20, to the fixed front wall, 15, and carrying on its other arm a coin receiver, 20, which normally stands at the discharge end of a coin chute, 21, mounted in the wall, 15. The'weight of a coin arriving in the receptacle, 20, will swing'the lever, 19, about its pivot, 20, disengaging the finger, 18, from the catch, 17, an thus permitting the door, 11,to swing away from the front edge of the shelf, 2, to allow withdrawal of the towel from the bottom of the pile in a manner already described, As the lever, 19, swings downwardly, the com 1S retained 1n the receiver,

by .gnrde rail, 22, but as the lever wouldhave no tendency to slide aeraeee chute, 24, which leads-to the coin box, 25,

unless by that instant the lowest towel has already been withdrawn partially from its normal position in the pile. A vertically slidable gate, 26, forminga continuation of the guide rail, 22, is disposed adjacent the upper end of the chute, 24, so that until a towel hasbeen withdrawn, the weight of the coin in the receiver, 20, will hold the lever, 19, with its locking finger, 18, out of engagement with the catch, 17, on the door, 12, whereas if the coin were permitted to be discharged immediately, the levdr, 19, being counter-balanced by the-weight, 27, might swing back to locking position before the depositor of the coin had withdrawn the towel for which he had paid.

But as the towel is withdrawn along the rod, 6, the eyelet of the towel at its rearedge will engage a contact member, 28. on a swinging arch or lever, 29, fulcrumed in the lower portion of the cabinet, andconnected by suitable linkage with the slidable gate mean ber, 26, for moving the latter upwardly as the towel is withdrawn forward along the rod, 6. thereby permitting thecoin in the receiver, 20,110 pass into the chute, 24, and coin box, 25, and permitting the locking lever,-

19, to return to locking position, as shown in full line in Figure 2. If at the instant the lever, 19, returns to locking position, the door, 12, has not already been swung shut by its spring hinges, 16, the catch, 17, will nevertheless be properly engaged with the locking finger, 18, when the door, 12, is

closed, since the catch member is provided with a slanted cam face, 30, which will momentarily deflect the locking lever, 19, and finger, 18, from locking position to permit closing of the door, 12, while gravity acting through the c ounter-weight, 27, will return the locking finger, 18, for engaging the book, 17. The towel-controlled linkage which releases the coin from the receiver, 20, is automatically returned to normal position by a retracting spring, 31, soon in Figure-6. ll claim: v 1. In a device of the character described, a support for a pile of towels, avrod arranged above said support in position to extend through registering openings in the towels, said rod having a part at itslower end bent laterally in the vicinity of the towel-suporting surface of said support, and

means extending from the front end of said part to the front end of said support for retaining the towels after they have been drawn laterally.

v 2. lln a device of the character described, a support for a pile of towels, and a towel retainer extending downwardly from a oint above the support into the vicinity o the 3. In a device of the character described,

an' upright rod having its lower end bent laterally so as to form a rounded heel, and means for supporting a pile of towels strung on said rod in such position that the lowermost towel has a part yieldably held in engagement with said heel so as to permit that towel to be drawn along the lateral portion of the rod by a pull in the direction of said lateral portion without danger of giving to the next succeeding towel a simultaneous similar movement.

4. In a device ofthe character described, an upright rod having its lower end bent laterally so as to form a rounded heel, means for supporting a pile of towels strung on said rod in such position that the lowermost towel has a part in engagement with said heels so as to permit that towel to be drawn along the lateral portion of the rod by a pull in the direction of said lateral portion, and means extending from the end of said lateral portion for retaining the towels after they have been drawn laterally.

5. In a device of the character described, an upright rod havin its lower end bent laterally, a support or a pile of towels strung on said rod having its upper surface lying just below the laterally-bent portion of the rod, said support having a slot extending through the same from one edge into the vicinit of said rod, and means extending from t e end of the lateral portion of the rod through said slot toward said edge of the support. 6. In a device of the character described,

a support for a pile of towels having a slot having a part bent laterall just above thesupport and then downwar ly into said slot;

7. In a device of the character described, a support for a pile oftowels having a slot extending inwardly from one edge thereof, an upright rod arranged above the support beyond the inner end of the slot, said rod having a part bent laterally in the vicinity of the top of the support and then downwardly into the slot and laterally through the same to said edge of the support.

8. In a device of the character described, a support for a pile of towels having a slot extending inwardly from one edge thereof, a rod arranged above said support in position to extend through registering openings in the towels, said rod having a part of its lower end bent laterally in the vicinity of said slot, and means extending from the free end of said part'into and alon the general direction of the slot to permit t e lowermost towel of the pile to be drawn off of said support.

9. In a device of the character described, a sup ort for a pile of towels having slots exten ing inwardly from one edge through the same, and a towel retaining member extending downwardly from a point above the support into the vicinity of the towel supporting surface of the support and then laterally through said wardly.

10. In a towel cabinet, a bifurcated shelf to support a pile of towels, a guide rod to engage an eyelet in each towel, and having a slot and then downbent portion disposed adjacent the rear of the shelf with a part extending upwardly therefrom, and a part directed forwardly between the two arms of the shelf, to ether with a bifurcated towel retainer ad acent the upright part of the rod with its upper surface in a plane cutting the rod substantially at the point where said bent portion emerges into said upright part, said retainer being disposed above the plane of the shelf and extending forward only slightly beyond the upright part of the rod.

11. In the combination defined in claim 10, the opening in said bifurcated retainer adjacent the rod being wide enough to permit the eyeletted portion of the bottom towel of the pile to sag through said retainer intio initial engagement with the bend of the ro 12. In a towel cabinet comprising a horizontal supporting shelf for a pile of towels with rear and side walls to enclose said pile, a towel-retaining guide-rod withimthe cabinet extendin forwardly along the shelf permittin withdrawal of the towels only past the orward ed e of said shelf; a door at the front side of t e cabinet engaging the front ed e of the shelf in closed position and hinged :Ibove the shelf for swinging of its lower edge out of such engagement to permit withdrawal of the bottom towel of the pile, together with a locking device to retain said door against the shelf.

13. In the combination defined in claim 12, said locking device including a yielding catch; coin-controlled means for releasing the catch, and means operable by the withdrawal of a towel for'returning the catch to locking position.

14. In the combination defined in claim 12, said door having a notch in its lower edge adjacent the guide rod to. give access to the bottom towel of the pile when the door stands in engagement with the edge of a shelf.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set in hand at hicago, Illinois, this 7th day of December, 1918.

ALBERT GRUB. 

